Jehanne Darc
Skills Jehanne's skills are related to her upbringing and current role. She learned to sew from her mother and was an excellent seamstress. She is also good with children and animals, and, by and large, is usually a sweet, compassionate person. Deeply religious---though she only knows two prayers and the Creed--Jehanne has a deep love for and trust in God. Her faith is simple, and at times, all consuming. This firm trust in God helps to give her confidence--not necessarily in herself--but in her mission, and her Voices. In terms of field tactics, Jehanne has a good grasp of artillery, specifically where to place what so that it would do the most damage to the enemy. In addition, her forceful personality served as a unifying force for the French troops--a point around which they could rally. She insisted on maintaining a strict moral code among her soldiers, insisting that God would only give them victory if they proved themselves worthy of it. Thus, she banned the troops from swearing--except for a mild oath, "by my staff," which she herself also used--and chased out the camp followers. She also insisted that they hear Mass and go to confession before battle. She used her own piety and strength of will to convince her soldiers that they were--and should be--a holy army fighting for a just cause. Though usually gentle, Jehanne could--and did--use her temper and her sometimes sharp tongue to get things done in the way in which she wanted them to be done. Fully convinced in her own mind of her mission and its origins, she used that confidence in dealing with those around her, especially individuals who were unwilling to listen to her at first. She is also very persistent, refusing to give up until she gets what she wants. Growing up a peasant--albeit a fairly well-off one--Jehanne is used to hard work and making do. Her practical, down-to-earth nature, coupled with her humility and earnestness, eventually earned her the loyalty of her soldiers and fellow captains. Even her impetuousness often served her well. She adopted an aggressive strategy of an all-out charge against the enemy, which had not been practiced in many years, due to the English troops' proficiency with the longbow. However, Jehanne--who believed that her Voices were directing her on how to fight the battles--was too impatient to abide by traditional French military tactics. She rallied the troops--using her confidence in her mission--and charged the English soldiers, sending them into a panic. These successes helped to boost the French troops' confidence. However, Jehanne's stubborn streak, impatience and insistence on holiness have also led her into trouble on numerous occasions. She frequently clashes with others who refuse to do or see things her way. She's also gotten herself--and others--seriously injured, because of her insistence on leading each attack and retreat, and her refusal to admit defeat. Jehanne also carries around a great deal of guilt, believing that some moral failing on her part led to her Voices' temporary abandonment, and the failure to take Paris and several other cities. A sensitive, gentle person, she feels for the soldiers around her--even the enemy troops- and has been known to cry at their deaths--or from insults--which can make her appear weak--as can her insistence on giving the English--or anyone for that matter--a chance to surrender peacefully rather than fight. Her knowledge of swordsmanship is somewhat ambiguous. Though she knew how to defend herself, she claims to never have killed anyone, and used her swords--both the one given to her by Saint Catherine and another --for primarily defensive purposes. In addition, she is illiterate,which will make navigating Pandora difficult--though she can sign her name. Personality First and foremost, Jehanne is a deeply religious Roman Catholic. Her faith matters more to her than anything else. Before she arrived in Corentia, she attended Mass and received the Sacraments as often as she could, and she prayed and went to Confession at every available opportunity. Her faith is simple, and at times, all consuming. This firm trust in God helps to give her confidence--not necessarily in herself--but in her mission, and her Voices. In spite of this devotion, her actual knowledge is limited--she's illiterate, and knows only two prayers, the Pater Nostre and the Ave Maria, as well as The Credo. In addition, she has strict moral standards to which she holds herself—and everyone else. When she served with the army, she maintained a strict moral code among her soldiers, insisting that God would only give them victory if they proved themselves worthy of it. Thus, she banned the troops from swearing--except for a mild oath, "by my staff," which she herself also used--and chased out the camp followers. She also insisted that they hear Mass and go to confession before battle. She used her own piety and strength of will to convince her soldiers that they were--and should be--a holy army fighting for a just cause. She tends to apply this same standard to everyone she meets, and has little patience for faults--her own or others. Besides her religion, Jehanne loves and is devoted to her Voices—three disembodied entities who spoke to her from out of a bright light. She calls them her saints and says that they are Saint Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine. Only she can see and hear them. They bring her messages and instructions--some of which she understands and some of which she doesn't. They have been coming to her since she was twelve or thirteen, and she loves them better than anything else. Fiercely protective of her Voices, she doesn't suffer doubters gladly. Her Voices are good and they come from God. Anyone who says differently is liable to a sharp rebuke, at best. Due to her dedication to these heavenly messengers--and the words they bring--she's prone to slipping off by herself to pray and speak with them--and woe betide anyone who interrupts her at either, particularly if her Voices are speaking with her. She won't hesitate to complain that she can't hear her Voices because of the noise around her. Jehanne will also happily converse with her Saints if they arrive in the midst of a previous conversation--as their messages are, of course, more important, in her mind. Though gentle, Jehanne could--and did--use her temper and her sometimes sharp tongue to get things done in the way in which she wanted them to be done. Fully convinced in her own mind of her mission and its origins, she used that confidence in dealing with those around her, especially individuals who were unwilling to listen to her at first. She is also very persistent, refusing to give up until she gets what she wants. Growing up a peasant--albeit a fairly well-off one--Jehanne is used to hard work and making do. Her practical, down-to-earth nature, coupled with her boldness and earnestness, eventually earned her the loyalty of her soldiers and fellow captains. Even her impetuousness often served her well. She adopted an aggressive strategy of an all-out charge against the enemy, which had not been practiced in many years, due to the English troops' proficiency with the longbow. However, Jehanne--who believed that her Voices were directing her on how to fight the battles--was too impatient to abide by traditional French military tactics. She rallied the troops--using her confidence in her mission--and charged the English soldiers, sending them into a panic. These successes helped to boost the French troops' confidence. However, Jehanne's stubborn streak, impatience and insistence on holiness have also led her into trouble on numerous occasions. She frequently clashes with others who refuse to do or see things her way. She's also gotten herself--and others--seriously injured, because of her insistence on leading each attack and retreat, and her refusal to admit defeat. Jehanne is also arrogant and pompish, believing that her way is best. This can--and has--led to clashes on numerous occasions, as Jehanne frequently appeals to her status as "La Pucelle" as a justification for why she's right and the other party is in the wrong. Thus, she is prone to thinking that she is always right about generally everything. Jehanne doesn't take kindly to being ignored and will sometimes get hostile when she feels that she's being overlooked. This is particularly true if the matter involves something which her Voices have bid her to do. Though not hostile toward men, the rough treatment she received from the soldiers at Rouen has made her somewhat wary, and she's quick to misjudge harmless flirting and teasing as something more offensive--and deserving of a good scolding. She can be sensitive to criticism, and is prone to making snippy--and at times belittling--comments if she feels threatened by someone. Possessing no patience for absurdities, she doesn't hesitate to use sarcasm when confronted by them. Although generally tough and unyielding, Jehanne can--and does--show compassion and behave gently. She cares deeply for her family and the friends that she has, and will go to almost any lengths to protect them. Children, animals and the wounded--whether enemy or friend--are the other most likely candidates to see this side of her. When necessary, she can be deferential--i.e. using proper forms of address and bowing, though that curtesy vanishes if a conflict arises. Violence, though necessary, disturbs her, and she takes pains to avoid it. She dictated letters to the enemy forces--enjoining them to surrender and save their lives, or remain and suffer the consequences--and carried her banner rather than the sword--which she wore-- to avoid being personally responsible for the deaths of the enemy troops./justify/LIST Appearance Jehanne's hair is brown and short, usually worn in a bowl cut, though now it's a lot shorter, as her head was shaved prior to her execution. Her eyes are light blue and round. Short and wiry, but muscular, Jehanne is built like a sturdy peasant girl, though she's lost weight during her time in prison. Tanned from years working outside, Jehanne's skin now has a paler, slightly sickly cast to it. She has two scars, one on her left shoulder just above her breast, and another on her right thigh, both from arrow wounds she'd received in battle. Her feet and legs, up to her knees, are heavily scarred from the fire, and she has trouble walking at first because of it. Jehanne wore the male clothes of her day for the past two years--hose laced to a doublet and a knee-length gown,with brown shoes. She also wore several hats and fine embroidered surecoats over her white--unadorned--armor. Now, she wears the plain shift she wore at her execution. She's also barefoot. Relationships History She was born on January 6, 1412 to Jaques and Isabelle Darc who lived in Domrémy, France. For the first twelve years of her life, she was a typical girl. She played with the other children, helped her mother around the house, worked in her father's garden and sometimes helped with the animals. She went to church often and developed a reputation as a pious, but sweet, child. Her mother taught her how to spin thread and sew, as well as the two prayers, the Ave Maria and the Pater Nostre, and the Credo. When she was twelve, her life changed. She was in her father's garden, working, when the Voices first came to her. They came from out of a bright light. At first, they told her to be good and go to church and that God would help her. she was so frightened, she did not know what to do. She never told her parents or friends about the Voices. Over the next five years, the Voices became more insistent. They told her that she was to leave her home and seek out Robert De Baudricourt, who was one of the captains of the king of France's army. France at this time was at war, with the English and their Burgundian allies fighting against the Armagnacs for control of the French throne. The English king Henry claimed the throne but so did the French dauphin, or crown prince, Charles VII. It was Charles who her Voices bid her to help. When she was seventeen, she went to Vaucoulerus to see Sir de Baudricourt. At first he refused to listen to her, telling her cousin, a man named Durand Luxart, that he should take her home to her father to be whipped for her foolishness. Luckily, her uncle paid him no heed. He did not know how stubborn she could be. She refused to leave Vaucoulerus and continued to see de Baudricourt, until at last he provided her with a group of men to take her to Chinon, where Charles, the French king, was staying. When she arrived at Chinon, she found the king hidden amongst his followers. After they talked, the king sent her to Poitiers to be examined by Catholic theologians, to determine the nature of her mission. So many questions they asked her! She thought it would never end. At last the scholars approved of her and she was granted an army, armor and a banner and sent to Orleans, a French city held by the English. She raised the siege of Orleans in May of 1429 and took many other cities throughout June and July, Jargeau and Patay being the most famous. Eventually she and the army reached Rheims, the site of French coronations. Charles VII was crowned king of France in Rheims in July, 1429. By 1430, however, her fortunes had turned. She failed to take Paris--because she heeded the counsel of men and not her Blessed Saints--and eventually she was captured, as her Voices foretold, by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English for 10,000 crowns. The English put her on trial for heresy beginning in January and lasting through May of 1431. In a moment of weakness, and for fear of the fire, she abjured and agreed to resume female attire, so long as she was placed within a church prison with female guards, instead of the English men who had been guarding her up to this point--if one can call beatings and harassment guarding. However, she was returned to her cell. Three days later she resumed her male attire, on May 27th, for a variety of reasons. Her English guards and their noblemen were worse to her now that she was clothed so. The bishop had lied to her about what would happen. Finally, her Saints came to her at last and told her that she had damned her soul to save her life, and this she could not bear. Because she had "recanted," she was sentenced to death, turned over to the secular authorities and, by all accounts, burned on May 31, 1431. Black cords pulled her from the fire into Pandora. Pandora History